No Talking
by pambelina

Oliver paced.

Dig looked up from where he was cleaning his gun and shook his head.

Oliver pretended not to notice. When the door to the basement opened he vaulted up the stairs.

"Where have you been?" he demanded. "Are you okay? Why weren't you answering your phone?"

Felicity blinked a few times, obviously surprised at his intensity. She held up one finger and started pawing through her purse. Oliver looked down at Dig; Dig shrugged and shook his head, just as confused.

Finally Felicity pulled out a set of notecards, all written on in her neat, curly hand. She held up the first one:

My phone is lost.

Oliver stared at her. "Why aren't you talking?"

She looked at the card and rolled her eyes. Shuffling through them, she pulled out a different one and handed it to him.

I have laryngitis. I'm not contagious, but I can't talk.

"You lost your voice and your phone?"

Felicity nodded, handing him another card.

It's been a bad day.

He followed her down the stairs. "Dig, Felicity has laryngitis. She's lost her voice and her phone."

Dig stood up and walked over to her desk, standing next to Oliver.

Felicity looked up at them over the rim of her glasses and held up another card:

Stop hovering. I'm fine. No, I will not go home.

"When did you write all these?" Oliver asked. "And how could you possibly know what we're going to do or say?"

She gave a silent laugh and held up two more cards.

I wrote these this morning and You're both incredibly predictable.

"Really?" Dig challenged. "Okay, then what are we going to do next?"

She shook her head, mocking them both, then handed them each a card.

Dig looked as if he'd seen a ghost and Oliver just laugh.

"What's yours say?" Oliver asked.

"Thanks Dig, I'd love some tea and honey. What about yours?"

"Yes you can try to physically take me home, but I'll flail so much you'll drop me. Better play it safe and let me stay." He laughed. "Even when you don't have a voice you still talk more than most people I know."

Felicity blushed and casually flipped him off.

"Didn't need a card for that one, did she Oliver? And I'll go get that tea for you."

She bowed her head in gratitude.

Oliver sat on the edge of her desk and watched her. She pretended to ignore him, but he could tell by her half smile she was enjoying it.

"You know," he said, leaning toward her. "I could tell you almost anything right now and you'd have no way to respond."

She tapped her cards.

"Yeah, but there are things I could say to you that I can guarantee you aren't prepared for." He leaned further down until he was practically within kissing distance.

Felicity swallowed.

"For instance, you look beautiful today."

She blushed.

He pointed to her cards. "No response?"

She pulled out one that said Thank you and flicked it at him.

"You're welcome. You also smell really good."

She pointed to the same card.

He nodded. "I guess I'll have to up my game."

Felicity looked a little nervous.

Oliver smiled. "I feel you watching me when I'm training. Your eyes on me. You're thinking about me, aren't you?"

She blanched, then thumbed through her cards. Quite sure of yourself, aren't you?

He threw his head back and laughed.

"What so funny?" Dig handed her the mug of tea.

"Just messing with Felicity."

Dig shook his head and went back to his gun cleaning.

"Last one," Oliver whispered. "When you're feeling better I'd really like to kiss you." He walked away before she could respond, thinking he'd won.

Felicity smiled smugly as she pulled out one of the last cards.

I bet you would.